It’s survival of the naughtiest
ANIMALS BEHAVING BADLY BBC1, 8pm
WITH cameras capturing a natural world full of naughty animals, this documentary does what it says on the tin.
At first it feels like an animal special of You’ve Been Framed, with funny video clips of monkeys stealing food, giraffes getting into a fight and cameramen being chased by birds.
But Liz Bonnin is hosting, so there is a scientific element here. She says: “The natural world is full of animals who are up to no good. They are stealing, vandalising, fighting and even kidnapping. But is this really as appalling as it looks?”
Of course, the animals are just trying to survive any which way they can, and this eye-opening documentary explains how. Liz travels the world meeting experts who explain their
discoveries, and we find out if what appears to be bad behaviour is actually just the secret to their success.
In this episode, Liz meets the creatures who will stop at nothing to find a mate. Surely nothing they do could rival the bad behaviour of humans in this endeavour? Two words, Love Island.
Liz is on the North American plains, where she discovers that a female prairie dog has only six hours in a whole year to mate.
It needs to crack on then... promiscuity is key!
Meanwhile, in Tanzania, she finds out that sibling rivalry can benefit a whole hyena clan.
Elsewhere, she learns that mongooses start wars to create a diversion for sneaky mating, and macaques kidnap babies to curry favour with their rivals.